Friends of the Hollow Queen
by YourGuardianAngel08
Summary: What if Arthur had gone after Merlin in the Hollow Queen? How would the king have reacted to what really happened to his friend? Would he have been able to deal with the poisoning? Merlin whump, protective Arthur. SPOILERS for The Hollow Queen, but AU timeline and slight reference to the previews for next week.
1. Chapter 1

**Before you start reading this story I have to say I really did love this episode. I thought they did a good job with all the characters and I love the confidence Merlin's gained with his powers, the bandit scene gave me chills. That being said, I am a sucker for Merlin whump and protective Arthur so I wanted to write a little twist on the episode. It bugged me that when Arthur said he was worried Gwen brushed it off and Arthur agreed so I decided to write an AU from that point. Arthur doesn't believe her and decides to go find his wayward servant without the blessings of the queen. Let me know what you think, hate it or love it! Enjoy!**

Something about the way his wife had said he had more important things to worry about caught his attention. _Merlin is something important, you don't even like this king,_ his pesky thoughts nagged at him as he made his way to the training grounds. Was it really so important that this man saw him fight? Could it not be arranged for another day? He was supposed to visit until the end of the week, so maybe it would not be such a misstep to ignore him for this training session. Although Arthur had promised to fight his champion, maybe he should just fight. _But Merlin has never been missing for this long before. Especially not on one of Gaius' herb hunting trips_, something was wrong and he knew it. Grabbing hold of a passing servant he gave him a message to take to the Sarrum. The servant was to apologize for the absence of the king and promise he would make amends the next day but there was a pressing matter of state that had to take precedence over training. His profuse apologies were attached even though he felt no type of apology was necessary.

Turning his feet away from the route to the training ground, Arthur instead went to Gaius, if anyone knew where Merlin had gone, the physician would. He only hoped that it wasn't too far because he had only made the excuse for today, it could be dangerous to leave the kingdom for too long, especially with the Sarrum's reputation.

Thoughts of worry consumed him as he made his way to the room and he found his hand pushing the door open of its own accord, forgetting the customary curtesy of knocking because of the fear churning in his gut. Gaius looked up in surprise. The King was the last person he expected to see.

"Sire", then taking note of his worried expression, "is everything alright?"

Not being one to mince words, the King asked directly, "Gaius do you have any idea where Merlin has gone?" A touch of concern colored the words and Gaius could not help but feel a sense of relief, Arthur would find his wayward ward.

"Last I knew, sire, he was going into the Valley of the Fallen Kings for a particular herb, he was supposed to go quickly during the day to avoid bandits, but I fear what has happened because he has been gone much longer than that."

"Why would the fool go in there?!" Arthur recalled what happened the last time Merlin had gone through the Valley of the Fallen Kings, the bandits had not been so accommodating that time either.

"Unfortunately, sire, he had to, that is why I have been so worried about him."

Arthur was chewing on his lip, he could take a force of men with him, in fact he probably should but how many knights should be bring? Maybe only Leon and Percival, incase Merlin was injured? He would have to hurry to keep them from making it to the training grounds first. He would gather a few soldiers as well, that would make the trip look like a patrol, something that might pull the attention of the King if the area was dangerous enough.

As he was walking out of the room, he called over his shoulder, "We'll find him Gaius, don't worry."

The patrol, as Arthur had taken to calling it, was nearly at the entrance to the Valley and he had to admit, to himself at least, he really was not looking forward to going back into this particular den of thieves. But he led them on anyway, desperate to find his friend.

Daegal was sitting just outside the moldy king statute trying to figure out what to do. Morgana had threatened him with Merlin's fate if he went back to help but could he really let the trusting man die that way? Merlin had offered to help his sister, even if she wasn't actually sick, and that type of trust and willingness to help did not deserve the slow, painful death he was currently experiencing. However, his musings were cut short by the sound of horses' hooves thundering toward him. Thinking they were more bandits, Daegal hid himself behind the giant leg of the statue he was sitting on. Watching as the men passed he realized these men were not bandits, they were knights, of Camelot no less. Maybe they would help Merlin. Stepping out from his hiding spot, Daegal did the bravest thing he had done in his short life.

"Oi, knights of Camelot!" He yelled over the sound of thundering hooves. It was a knight towards the front that turned toward him, calling a stop to the rest of the men. As the leader of the patrol turned around, Daegal recognized him, the king himself!

"What is it boy? We have pressing matters, if this is not important walk away now." It was the King who addressed him, worry evident in his features. Maybe they were looking for Merlin?

"There's a man who needs your help...please...he's been poisoned and I don't think his has much longer."

A look of alarm came over the King's features and he turned to the two knight's next to him before looking back at Daegal.

"What does this man look like? Do you know his name?"

"Yes sire, he's dark haired, pale complected, taller than me, his name is Merlin, my lord."

Without a second thought, "You will show us where he is, and quickly. Leon, allow him to ride with you."

Leon, the knight who had first called the halt, scooted back in the saddle and offered a hand down to Daegal, hoisting him up into the saddle. With Leon now taking the lead, the knights set off at a quick pace and Daegal had to hold on for dear life. They would get to the spot much quicker than he had managed to get away from it.

"He is lying just over there sire." The strange boy, _Daefel...Daerus...Daegal, that was his name_, was pointing to a place just up around a bend in the road. And something about the way he said lying had Arthur on edge, what had happened to his friend?

He dismounted, not wanting to risk frightening the man if he was awake and handing his reigns over to the boy made his way up and around the bend. What he saw made his blood go cold. Merlin was there alright but he was pale, deathly pale, and his body was held rigid seemingly tensed in pain. As Arthur inched closer he could see his face was screwed up and his eyes were closed. Kneeling down at his side, he shook him, gently at first until he realized it wasn't doing anything, so he shook a little harder. Merlin's eyes moved beneath the lids but he showed no signs of waking. Thinking of the only thing he had left he pulled out his water skin and tried to pour some into the man's mouth, hoping the coolness would wake him.

It got him to open his eyes but he looked around in confusion, working hard to focus. Once he was finally able to focus on Arthur's face, it took him a minute to croak out his name. In fact he made a few confused grunting noises first as if trying to talk past the immense pain he was in, and then the name was said with such a sense of incredulity that it cut Arthur to the quick. Merlin hadn't thought anyone would come for him.

"Arthur..." He seemed to be refocusing his eyes, trying to figure out if this was a dream.

"It's me you clotpole, what have you gotten yourself into this time, I thought you were just supposed to grab a few herbs?"

He made a few gagging noises before responding in a voice, entirely too weak for Arthur's liking, and it strengthened the resolve of the voice in the back of his mind telling him Merlin was dying and the more time he wasted here could hasten that end.

"Well I would have been alright if Morgana had not found me..." Arthur felt his blood boil, his friend was dying because of that witch and he had almost allowed it to happen.

"Alright well, no more lying around, its time we got you back to Gaius, he'll be able to patch you up." Placing his arms under his friend's knees and shoulders, Arthur started to lift him, no sooner had Arthur gotten him half way off the ground that Merlin started to scream, a horrifying, blood-curdling scream that sounded more animalistic than human. Quickly realizing he was the source of the pain, Arthur gently laid him back down.

"Merlin! I'm sorry, I'm so sorry, what have I done?"

He was taking short gasping breaths, trying to calm down the screaming nerve endings. He had never felt something so painful, it was like every nerve ending was exposed to the air at the same instant and the effect was horrendous. It took him a while to control his breathing, he figured this is what Morgana had meant. It had been painful before, just lying there but the inability to leave this place for fear of being ripped apart by pain was worse, much worse. Arthur was still hovering over him and he saw more men of Camelot filtering into the clearing.

"Merlin..." It was Arthur again, his voice was filled with worry and anguish that he didn't even bother hiding, he simply wanted to know how badly he had hurt his best friend.

"I'm alright...b..but...I don't think I'll be going back to Camelot like this." He pulled in another breath and Arthur couldn't help but hear the wetness in his breathing. If he didn't do something soon, his friend would die.

It was then that the strange boy stepped up behind them and Merlin's reaction was pure venom. Swallowing, trying to speak past his tensed throat, he looked up at the boy with fury in his eyes. Arthur was still kneeling next to him but tensed at his friend's reaction, _had this boy something to do with Merlin's poisoning?_.

"You..." it was a venomous greeting. "You came back, why?"

_Came back?_ Arthur's hand moved slowly to his sword, if this boy did have anything to do with this, he would die.

"I couldn't leave you to die."

"You betrayed me." Merlin choked out over the bile rising in his throat, his head dropping back after he made the accusation. This was enough for Arthur, this boy had a role to play in this and he would be, unfortunately for him, the perfect outlet for Arthur's growing fear and anger.

No sooner had the words left Merlin's blue tinged lips, Arthur had the boy on his back with Excalibur at his throat.

"You...you played a role in this? You helped to poison him?" His fury could be seen in his stance, his whole body was vibrating with anger, only his sword arm was steady.

"N...no, it wasn't me I swear, Morgana poisoned him. She...she paid me to bring him to her. I didn't know what she had planned." The last bit of the confession was said in a whisper, the boy obviously regretting what he had done, otherwise why would he have brought the king to this place? Still someone had to pay, but Merlin would get to decide this boy's fate here, Arthur would deal with him in Camelot. Turning his attention to his stricken friend he saw Merlin watching him,

"What do you think Merlin? Shall I punish him now?"

"A..rth..ur, leave him be...please..." a gag stopped Merlin from pleading for the boy but Arthur got the gist, Merlin was too kind for his own good. Pulling the sword away from the boy's throat, he returned to his friend's side. Laying his hand on his shoulder for support he looked at him,

"Merlin, we need to do something. I fear we can't get Gaius here fast enough, do you know of anything we can do? Any herbs? Anything I can do to help?"

Sucking in air past his teeth, trying to keep the pain at bay, Merlin forced himself to think. The pain permeating every place in his body made it difficult but he eventually landed on a cure he thought might work. If nothing else, it should negate the effects of the poison enough for his magic to finish expelling it.

"Tell me what you need, we'll find it I promise..." Arthur felt the boy move up behind him.

Sucking in a few more wet breaths, his body tensing and shifting in pain, Merlin started, "Roo...it's got yellow flowers,"

"And feathery leaves," the boy behind Arthur finished, maybe it wasn't such a bad thing he hadn't spilled his intestines, for now.

"Milfoil..."

"Yarrow..." The boy echoed again, using the more common name for the plant.

"Ground into a tincture."

"Do you know what these things are boy?" Arthur questioned with a bit more venom than he intended.

"Yes sire." Almost hesitant was the answer.

"Good, you will take a group of soldiers, and look for these plants." Motioning at three men he addressed them,

"You three will go with him, do not let him escape and if you find the herbs you bring them straight back, no matter what."

"Yes, sire." They chorused.

Turning to Percival, "Will you accompany them as well?"

"Of course Arthur."

"Leon, I want you to take four men and set up sentries, we don't want any bandits to find our position."

"Yes your highness."

"The rest of you will start a fire, we will have to boil those plants down as soon as they are brought back and I want the water already started."

Turning away as the soldiers set off on their task, Arthur moved back to Merlin and shrugging his cloak from around his shoulders he draped it gently over the struggling man. And he sat down to wait. He knew he could have gone out with the men hunting the herbs but at the same time he did not want to leave his friend's side, afraid of what might happen if he allowed him out of his sight again. As he sat and watched Merlin, he couldn't help but think of what Gwen had said, had she really meant that there were more important things than Merlin? That didn't sound like anything the woman he loved would say, he thought she should have been the one pushing him out the door the second she realized Merlin had been gone for that long, promising to not let Arthur back on until he came back with the clumsy manservant. Something in her had changed, this was just another piece to the puzzle for Arthur. But his attention was turned back to Merlin as the man started to cough, something was wrong.


	2. Chapter 2

**The response to this is amazing already! Thanks to all who favorited and followed the story it's always fun to see :). **

**As for the extremely depressing news that is circulating...Season 5 will be the last season but I have to agree with ****Mediatrix, maybe contacting the BBC could do something. I'm thinking that there are enough nationalities that watch it, maybe we could actually do something. Personally this is the only show I watch because everything else seems so worthless, it's either reality tv or has a ridiculously weak plot. It seems like whether I find a show to watch, it always ends too soon. **

**Also the bits with Gwen I'm taking from the episode to make sure I'm keeping it close to the actual story, I've altered them a bit but I want to keep mostly true to the story in that instance. **

**I was originally planning this to be a two-shot but I'm thinking I might have to stretch it a little past that. Unfortunately, I have some homework I have to do first, this is to give you something to say thank you for the reviews. Enjoy!**

The queen was furious. Arthur had gone to find that troublesome manservant. Gwen knew it was unlikely that he would find him alive, Morgana's potions worked effectively and he was in the Valley of the Fallen Kings, not somewhere Arthur should think to go, but still she was annoyed there might be a chance. Deciding to continue on with her plan, she arranged to meet with the Sarrum, ensuring she would catch his attention quickly.

"I watched your men practice today. I was impressed with their skill."

"Well the men of Armata are born with swords in their hands, I'm only sorry your husband could not have been a part of the display of swordsmanship."

"Yes, well, my husband decided there were more important matters to attend. I can't help but believe Camelot would benefit from a leader with your dedication to the sword. Maybe your men could teach him a thing or two about it, like fighting or possibly dying by the sword." This caught his attention. Motioning to his guards, the Sarrum dismissed them back to the room.

"I must have misheard you."

"I don't think so."

"Are you not happy with your husband?"

"I'd be happy if he died tomorrow, if someone could arrange that I could assure you they would be richly rewarded."

His dumbfounded expression was rather laughable, "I'm not sure I believe you."

She could feel the pieces of her plan falling into place, now all that was left was to hammer out the details, she knew they man was greedy and she was about to use that trait to her advantage. "Meet me outside the king's suite tonight, we can speak openly there."

Turning and walking away, Gwen could feel the smile creep to her lips, she would entice the Sarrum, he would kill her boorish husband for her and Morgana would gain what is rightfully her's. All she had to do was sell a portion of Camelot's lands, lands Morgana could easily gain back once they were ruling the kingdom.

* * *

Merlin had choked, that's what the grating cough was. Arthur had turned him gently to the side when he realized Merlin did not have the strength to do it himself. He bit back tears as Merlin retched, hoping for the soldiers and that boy to return quickly. They had been gone for a few hours as it was. What Arthur hadn't realized was that they had come back shortly before and were attending to the tincture while he was tending to his friend. While he waited he focused on keeping Merlin cool, dabbing at the sweat that had beaded on his forehead.

It wasn't until Daegal came over to them clutching a curled leaf in his hand that Arthur realized their salvation was at hand. The boy was walking almost hesitantly, as if afraid Arthur would run him through with the slightest provocation. He wasn't too far off, but there was no way Arthur would take the risk when the boy was carrying the treatment. As soon as the leaf was offered, Arthur snatched it from his hand and reached out to support Merlin's head. His friend awoke with the movement and focused on the leaf, realization floating through his expression. Arthur helped him to drink the tincture and reached for his water skin to help wash it down. But Merlin pushed it away. Grasping Arthur's hand and laying it across his chest, he mumbled something that sounded suspiciously like "My heart" and Arthur felt his grip increase around his arm, surprisingly strong for what he had gone through. Then the grip tightened again, almost painful this time. Merlin looked up at him, took a breath and when his head dropped down, Arthur felt him start to convulse. His whole body shook and a painful cry left his lips as the antidote did what it was supposed to do, or at least what he assumed it was supposed to do. Arthur held him all the while, tasting salt the whole time. Eventually the shaking stopped, Merlin's hands went limp, and Arthur felt his body relax. The problem was as his head lolled to the side, Arthur could not longer feel the beating of his heart.

"No" he whispered before laying his head against the chest of his friend, he couldn't be dead, it wasn't possible, Merlin could not be dead at Morgana's hand. A faint flutter rewarded his efforts and he spent a moment ensuring he actually heard the beating. When he was satisfied, he sat back on his haunches. Merlin was still alive, they just had to wait to see if he would wake, he didn't want to risk moving him again until he knew he could do so without causing him pain. Tucking the cloak back around his shoulders, he sat in his spot with the cloth, dabbing his friend's forehead, well aware he had tears drying on his cheeks, tears he did nothing to wipe away even as Leon and Percival came to check on their friend.

It was nearly nightfall when Merlin awoke. Arthur had never left his side and so was the first face he saw when he finally opened his eyes. It sounded almost like Arthur whispered a "thank the gods" but it wasn't loud enough for him to be sure.

"Merlin, are you alright?"

To be honest, he was still weak, the poison was in his veins, he could feel it, but thankfully the pain was gone. However, he didn't want to worry Arthur more than he already had,

"Yeah, I'm fine."

"Don't lie to me." It was a command, he could hear it in the King's voice, he wanted the actual truth. "I won't watch that again, Merlin. Tell me honestly, are you alright?"

Merlin sighed, Arthur was like a dog with a bone and he was not going to release it until he gave him something more elaborate.

"I can still feel the poison but it's lessening. It will work its way out of my system..." He felt Arthur's eyes on him, a doubting look plastered on his face, "I promise Arthur, it is not a big deal anymore. But we should be returning to Camelot." And he made a move to stand, only to feel Arthur's hand on his shoulder forcing him back down.

"Merlin, you almost _died_ this afternoon, we do not need to run back at this point. We can wait a few more moments. No one is going to hand the kingdom over to Sarrum if you rest a bit longer."

Merlin snorted at Arthur's choice of doom, that's exactly what he was afraid of.

"I want to talk about this Daegal boy before we do anything."

"He knows something, Arthur. Morgana decided to kill me now..." Merlin could not help but notice the shiver that ran through is friend, Arthur had been truly worried, "for a reason and I fear its because she is planning another attempt on your life."

"You think she told him something of her plans?" Arthur couldn't believe that Morgana would trust this boy with what she was planning to do, no matter what price she paid him.

"I think Morgana has become reckless in her desperation, she might have let something slip, but it is still best to ask, if she didn't we don't lose anything."

Arthur sighed, Merlin was right and he knew it. As he stood up he noticed his friend was shivering, the cloak had fallen from his shoulders earlier and Merlin hadn't seemed to notice, so before he went to find Daegal he reached down to pull the cloak back around his shoulders. Receiving a thankful look from him friend.


	3. Chapter 3

**I am so amazed by the number of reviews! You guys are amazing thank you so much! **

**I kind of took a little chance in this section (at least it seems that way -lol-) So you'll have to let me know if you like what I've done, if not I'm always open to criticism!**

**Again that you so much for your reviews and reads, you're awesome!**

**By the way, I saw online that they are thinking of a movie following Season 5, at least that's something. Enjoy!**

There was a knock at the door, unsure of how to answer, Gwen decided it would be best to pretend no one was in the room. That is until the pesky court physician let himself in because he was looking for Arthur. Realizing he was probably not going to be leaving anytime soon and might actually look around, Gwen decided it was best to make him leave so she could get on with the plan to kill her husband.

"Gaius, what do you need?"

"Forgive me milady, I was checking whether the King had come back yet, I am anxious to see if Merlin is alright."

"They have not returned yet Gaius but I'm sure that they are alright, Arthur will not let any harm come to Merlin and he did take Leon and Percival with him along with a few of the guards. They probably just decided it was too late to travel back and thought it best to camp for the night." To be honest, the fact that they were not back yet was frustrating Gwen because it meant that there was a good chance Merlin was not actually dead and Arthur was taking it easy. _Or_, her more optimistic side chirped, _it simply means Merlin actually did die and Arthur is grieving_. That thought did bring a smile to her face, a distracted Arthur would be even easier to kill.

"Of course you're right milady, I am just worried. Please do not let me keep you." And Gaius turned and left.

_Well that was easier than I thought_.

But he stuck his head back in the door a moment later, "Could you please have Arthur come to me the moment they return?"

"Of course, Gaius, have a good night and do not worry, they will return safely." She turned and walked behind the wardrobe as if getting ready for the night, no sense in giving the man any reason to think she was going anywhere.

"Thank you milady, goodnight." And the old man was out the door again, hopefully this time he would stay away. Gwen waited for a moment and then checked to make sure no one was in the hall. When she found it all clear, she left for her clandestine meeting.

Finding the man in the archway like she suggested she addressed him,

"Forgive me I was belayed."

He did not seem to be in a conversational mood and simply ordered her, "Speak."

So she laid down the plan that she and Morgana had come up with, "I have a simple proposition, one that would be mutually beneficial. You kill Arthur, I assume the throne. And in gratitude give over one-third of Camelot's lands to Armata."

The Sarrum seemed to be trying to figure out if this was too good to be true. "You think the people will accept this?"

"Without a king I will insist it is a necessary price for our protection."

His eyes narrowed, "And the knights?"

"They will remain loyal to me, they'll do whatever I say."

Seemingly placated by this suggestion he asked the next question, "How do we kill him? The king is surrounded by armed guards at all times."

"Guards who answer to me. You appoint the assassin, I will deliver the means." That did seem a little dubious, what's to say those men would not question her order? Then again this whole idea of murdering an ally did seem a bit dubious to say the least. So he agreed.

"I have just the man."

"Then make him ready. Arthur has proposed a treaty, the signing tomorrow will provide us with the perfect opportunity."

"But what if your husband is not back by morning? If the treaty is postponed, any assassin in position could face trouble retiring from that position."

"Do not worry, I will get word to you either way. If the signing is tomorrow, the key will be in place, if it is postponed, your man will not move until I give the okay, but the means will still remain in place." Not letting him get another word in, Gwen swept back into the shadows to ensure no one saw the meeting.

* * *

When Arthur returned, Daegal was trailing behind him looking for all the world like a sulking puppy. He didn't seem to want to look up and Merlin almost felt guilty remaining on the ground curled in Arthur's cloak, for some reason he felt the boy would feel better if he at least sat up. So pushing himself up off the ground he shuffled himself back against the rock wall for some support. He didn't feel entirely ready to stand up and he had almost forgotten about the wound to his leg, the poison had ensured that was the least of his problems. Arthur sat down in what was quickly becoming his usual place and Daegal knelt beside him. And Arthur being Arthur started the conversation, bluntly.

"I need you to tell me everything you know about why Morgana did this?"

Thinking he was talking about Merlin's situation Daegal stared meekly, "I did not know what she intended for Merlin, she offered me money to bring him here...to the woods," then turning to Merlin, "you know what it's like, needing money I mean." At the mention of the poisoning both the king and his servant tensed but allowed the boy to continue.

It was Merlin's turn to speak up, "Do you know what Morgana is planning?"

Daegal started, "I met the Lady Morgana and the que..." and he trailed off thinking better of what he was about to spill, he started again. But Arthur looked up, his eyes narrowing.

"What did you just say?" His words were measured but dangerous and Merlin could see his hand moving towards his sword but he didn't draw it, he allowed the boy to finish.

"I meant to say I met the Lady Morgana only once."

Merlin knew the boy was lying, "I don't believe you, please tell us whatever you know."

Daegal seemed to think for a moment, unsure what he should tell them...he settled for the truth, "I think they mean to kill you sire."

This time Arthur did not let the _they _go unnoticed. He knew what the boy had started to say and that pissed him off. Merlin felt him tense and knew what he was going to do. So when Arthur stood up, cold steel ringing free from its scabbard, Merlin was up as well and for once in his life he was faster than the king. Managing to twist between him and Daegal, he pinned the sword in the air. His leg was screaming at him and his body was protesting the swift movement, okay to be honest he felt like his legs were going to give out at that moment but he forced himself to stay upright. Yelling over his shoulder,

"Daegal leave...now!" He knew he was loosing the fight against Arthur, who surprisingly was not trying as hard as Merlin thought he should be.

The boy bolted away from the pair and the only thing that kept Arthur from going after him was Merlin.

Arthur saw red, this boy, the one who earlier had tried to kill his best friend, was now also accusing his wife of trying to kill him. That was enough cause for him to gut the boy on the spot. What he didn't count on was Merlin's speed. As soon as the sword cleared the scabbard, Merlin was there positioning himself between the blade and the boy. As Daegal scampered off towards where the knights were camped, Arthur wanted to turn his rage to the closest thing and unfortunately that was Merlin. Shoving him hard backward he was surprised when Merlin gave a cry a pain as his leg crumpled and he fell hard onto his side. Instantly, his rage cooled and was replaced by the fear that he had successfully re-injured the man who an hour before he had sworn to protect.

"Merlin!" Dropping to side again for what felt like the fifteenth time that day, he helped his injured friend sit up. "What happened? Are you alright?"

Pulling his leg up towards him to see in the failing light, he probed the wound. It hadn't even been wrapped because up until this point he had almost forgotten about it, compared to the poison it had been a scratch. "It's alright, I just stood up a bit too fast."

"What's wrong with your leg?" Arthur was looking at the wound and as he spoke was ripping at a blanket to use as a wrapping.

"I think I landed on something when Morgana threw me off the ledge, I don't really remember though."

"You should have said something before, we could have looked at it earlier." As Arthur tied off the bandage Merlin noticed his hands were shaking. Looking him in the eye, he knew something was wrong, there was a storm raging behind the blue and Merlin knew it had something to do with what Daegal had said.

"What's wrong Arthur?" The king would not look at him.

"Merlin, did I tell you why we came to look for you?" Startled by the question, Merlin just figured he would let Arthur continue. And when he did it was in a far away voice, like he had just put something together in his mind.

"I was worried. I was concerned when you did not come to work this morning...when I mentioned it to Gwen she told me that you were overworked and had probably just decided to take the day off. That by itself would not have meant anything but then she said something I never thought I would hear her say..." Arthur looked him in the eye at this point, "She told me not to worry because I had more important things to worry about." At that something clicked behind his eyes. "Merlin, she should have been the one who was kicking my arse out the door to find you, the old Gwen would have done so...I...I'm not sure I know who I'm married to anymore. You know what sealed it for me?" Arthur looked up at him expectantly and Merlin could see the tears in his eyes, all he could do was shake his head in the negative. "It was her eyes Merlin, she stopped showing her love in her eyes. They seem so...flat. I'm not used to that and it did not make sense until she made that comment the other day. She's changed and I'm...I'm...scared that what the boy is saying is true." He dropped his head into his hands and Merlin watched as his shoulders started to shake and for the second time in his life, he watched his friend cry.

Sliding over to where the king was curled in on himself, Merlin placed his arm around his shoulder and held him while he sobbed. He knew this man had been betrayed by too many people and Merlin was afraid this might be the last he could take.

"Arthur..." Merlin tried in his most soothing voice to get the king's attention.

"No...if I lose her, I lose everything." Merlin did not know what to say to this, he was heart-broken at the desperation in Arthur's voice.

"Arthur, I think Morgana has something to do with this...I don't think its Gwen's doing. We'll find a way to get her back, I can promise you that." Arthur seemed to process that for a moment and when he looked up, a little hope shown out through the red-rimmed eyes.

"Thank you Merlin." They sat like that until the sun faded completely, each lost to his own thoughts until the need for warmth and sleep pulled them towards the rest of the camp.


	4. Chapter 4

**I'm so sorry this has taken so long! I always seem to start stories at the worst times. I guess I just get bored with schoolwork and assume that this is a better way to spend my time. Oh well, so here is the next installment. And for those of you who are still following the story, thank you so much for sticking with it and I hope you like this chapter! Enjoy!**

Gwen made the decision, there was no way there would be a signing today, her husband had not come home last night. But she also assumed that meant that the meddling servant was still alive. Arthur would not have waited if the boy had been dead or not too badly injured. They must have found a way to save him. That thought, along with the delay in her plan put the Queen on edge, and she was taking it out on the servants tending to her. She would need to get word to the Sarrum, but thankfully the pieces of her plan really did not need to change much. The key was still in her possession, she would just have to meet the leader the next day to ensure he got what he needed. The first step was moving back the signing so she called the council and made sure to invite the leader from Armata.

Dressing in her most regal gown, she glided into the room to address the gathered men.

"We have much to discuss but the first order of council must be the upcoming treaty." Looking around the room, she realized there were many who were nodding in agreement at her announcement. "Our king has still not returned from his patrol and in his absence I have decided we must postpone the signing of our treaty with the honorable king from Armata." Then turning to the Sarrum, "I do hope you will forgive my husband's absence, he would only have done this because of an issue of grave importance."

The words of reverence rolled off his tongue like that of a snake, "Of course, milady, I understand the responsibilities of kingship and at times, there are matters that cannot be overlooked."

Gwen inclined her head towards the leader, a small smile on her lips. This would work; her husband would be dead in a day and then she would have no problem finding a way to get rid of that ridiculous manservant. Morgana would have her throne.

Once the affairs of the day, abridged as they were, were completed, Gwen swept out of the room intent on ensuring everything would be in place for the following day. She needed to get word to Morgana and change the guard routes to allow the Sarrum's man access to his assassination position.

* * *

Daegal was the first to wake; looking around warily he saw something he had never expected to see in his life. Merlin was still wrapped tightly in the red cloak of the king while that same king was near him without any kind of blanket. The King was lying near his sleeping servant but he was watching him with something akin to worry and relief etched into his face. Even after everything that had happened yesterday, the fact that a king could feel this way for a mere servant was surprising to the boy. Trying, unsuccessfully, to avoid the eyes of the king, Daegal was even more thoroughly surprised when the look of hatred was absent from the eyes, he still was watching him warily but the blood lust from the day before was gone. The rustling of the other knights broke him out of his reverie but he did not take his eyes off the king; he was curious as to what he would do next. Daegal knew Merlin's job, knew he was supposed to get everything ready for the ride, to help break down the camp, he also knew there was absolutely no way Merlin would be able to complete any of these tasks as long as Arthur allowed to him sleep.

This is what Daegal was watching for, to see how far the worry actually extended. And true to his assumptions, Arthur did the exact opposite of what any other royal would have done in his place, assuming that any other royals would have actually come looking for a servant who might be in trouble. He got up and walked away from his servant to tend to his own breakfast and judging by the fact that he grabbed two travel bowls, his friend's as well. The knights did not seem to see any problems with what the king was doing, Leon simply filled both bowls and moved to strike the camp while Arthur went back over to Merlin.

After Arthur managed to force some food down Merlin's throat he called for the knights to mount up because it was time to get back to the city. For all his talk, Arthur did not trust the Sarrum.

Thankfully, the trip back was uneventful. Merlin rode with Arthur and Daegal with Leon again because there were no spare horses for them. Arthur spent the trip keeping an eye on his friend to ensure there were no after effects of the poison, but outside of the weariness in the man's eyes there did seem to be any lasting effects.

* * *

Arthur dismounted first so he could make sure Merlin was able to get down off the saddle, his leg was still sporting an open wound and while the ride probably allowed for some healing, it was still painful to use the leg. The warlock managed to get off the horse on his own and Arthur allowed him to save face by grabbing his arm as he swayed slightly on his feet.

Handing the horse off to one of the stable hands that had come up to the returning knights, Arthur had every intention of walking Merlin straight up to Gaius. Unfortunately, his false wife provided him with another chore. She met them at the steps and gave Arthur a chaste kiss on the cheek. He could feel the deceit rolling off her and he could not figure out why he did not realize it before.

"Arthur, I must speak with you."

"In a moment, Guinevere, I want to escort Merlin to Gaius, he has a leg wound that needs to be looked at."

"This cannot wait…" Arthur looked to Merlin, who tilted his head to the side, unsure of how to get the king out of this one, and then turned to Percival,

"Make sure he gets to Gaius'."

"Of course Arthur." Percival took hold of Merlin's arm and guided him away from the obviously uncomfortable reunion. As soon as the men left, Gwen continued,

"Arthur, you must not do that again. I was forced to push back the treaty signing. You know the reputation of the Sarrum; it was not a wise decision to leave with him in the city."

Arthur's anger at the situation flared up again and rounding on Guinevere he snapped, "What would you have had me do Guinevere? No one had seen Merlin; I couldn't leave him in the Valley of the Fallen Kings on his own. And it was a good thing I went as well, he was badly injured when we found him."

It was Gwen's turn to unleash her anger, "You should have done what any good king would have. You should have left him. No respectable king would have gone after a servant!"

"Are you not listening to yourself, Guinevere? He is your friend as well as mine and you are treating him like he is beneath you."

Seeming to realize her misstep, Gwen deflated. "I'm sorry Arthur, of course you are right, I just worried for you is all. You are always willing to do this, willing to risk your life to save that of someone else. Camelot needs a king, you should trust more to your knights, they could have easily arraigned a search party."

Arthur, playing at being taken in by her apology, made one himself. "I am sorry as well Guinevere. I know I did not talk this over with you and I did leave in the middle of the day. From now on I will discuss the decisions with you to ensure their validity. Now what were you saying of the treaty signing?"

"Only that is has been moved back to tomorrow, I did not think you would want to sign today, so soon after returning, so I made the decision this morning."

"Thank you for that. I am going to go to Gaius' and then I will go and speak with the Sarrum to smooth over any indiscretions." With that he kissed her and moved off in the direction of his servant. Still reeling over the words of his wife.

* * *

When he made it to the room, Merlin was sitting on the patient bed, leg up as Gaius wrapped it with something cleaner and more appropriate than the blanket he had used. Both men looked up at he entered but Merlin was the first to recognize the look on his face for what it was.

"Arthur, what's wrong?"

Then doing something he had never done before, "Merlin, can we talk?"

Sharing a surprised look with Gaius, the physician huffed and made his way from the room, after gathering up his supplies, "I'm going on my rounds. Merlin remember to stay off that leg for now, give it time to heal properly."

Merlin gave a fond look toward the closing door and then looked down at Arthur who had taken up residence on the chair beside the bed. "What is it Arthur?" The king proceeded to tell him everything that had happened, including what Gwen had said about him. And how he was thinking of calling off the treaty.

"Arthur, you cannot break the treaty. You know what the Sarrum would do, it would be an insult and could lead to war with Armata, the opposite of what you are trying to achieve."

"What if the Sarrum is in on the plot? What if Morgana wants more than just framing him for the assassination?"

"You have to go on with the ceremony Arthur. It is too late to end it now, the Sarrum is here." Merlin looked up at his friend, he knew what was running through his mind. He wasn't afraid for himself; he was worried about the others who would be present.

"Is it worth the risk? What if the assassin misses and someone is injured? There will be many people in the room Merlin..." Arthur trailed off, and almost like he knew what the secret warlock was thinking... "and you will not be joining the ceremony tomorrow, you are to rest here. You will stay where it is safe."

* * *

The air was tense in the throne room and Arthur couldn't help but think this was not the best treaty to be signing if he was worried about the Sarrum assassinating him, but still he needed the answers and this was a way to get them. The curious thing about the whole situation is that it was not just the men of Camelot radiating this tension; he saw it in the Sarrum's face and Guinevere's as well. Glancing back at Merlin, who had been ordered to stay in his chambers for all the good that had done, the man gave him a slight nod and Arthur proceeded.

Putting on his best kingly face he made a speech about the friendship of their peoples and how he wished that their two kingdoms would be allies befitting of the tales of old, or something along those lines. In truth, he was busy surveying all the points in the throne-room from where an assassin could potentially take a shot. Since it seemed like a large sign was not going to appear over the head of the would-be assassin, Arthur completed his speech and motioned to his guest to pick up the pen to sign the treaty.

That is when about five things happened at once.

Arthur heard the bolt, his name, and felt a tilting sensation at the same time, all the while people of the court were screaming and orders were being shouted among the knights but all Arthur could think was, _dammit Merlin!_ He knew he had lost his balance because of a strong shove that came from the side. The second after he stumbled to the right, he saw the body of his friend started to collapse. Twisting around he saw Merlin, bolt sticking out of his chest and a look of alarm on his face, headed quickly to the floor, seemingly unaware it was coming up fast. Lurching forward, Arthur managed to catch him before he impacted the cold marble. Cradling Merlin's head in his lap, Arthur looked over the man. The bolt had hit him in the middle of his chest and Arthur was worried for what that might have hit. Already hearing a hitch in his friend's breathing, he knew the next few minutes would be critical. But as Arthur was looking for a way out of the room, Merlin's hand had crept up to clasp at the offending wood, almost like he intended to pull it out. Thankfully, Arthur noticed the motion and easily batted his hands away, instead covering the wound with his own.

"Leave it Merlin, it has to stay in."

All around him chaos had broken loose, some of the knights left in the room had whisked Guinevere out the side door near the throne, intent on getting her clear. Those who had not left were forming up around the pair on the floor. Leon knelt down beside Arthur,

"Sire, we must get you out of here quickly. If that assassin is not found, he could try again."

Arthur looked up at him like he had just sprouted another head, and gesturing down to the man in his lap, hissed, "I'm not leaving Merlin bleeding on the floor so I can protect myself. I suggest that you find the assassin quickly before he has the chance to do the job he set out to do." Leon took a group of knights from the dwindling group to strengthen the search for the assassin.

"Gawaine help me. We can get him behind the table, it should be enough cover." Without even a snicker, the knight bent down to help Arthur move the wounded man, the both leaned down over him while the rest of the knights stood guard. Arthur wasn't even sure what happened with the Sarrum.

"Merlin, you ridiculous idiot! Why did you do that? A called warning would have been enough."

The man in question opened his eyes and of course his mouth to offer a retort. "Where would the fun have been in that?" But the corresponding snicker was cut short by the pain it caused. For the second time in three days, Arthur was desperately worrying over an injured Merlin.

Turning to Gawaine, "We have to get him up to Gaius..."

"As soon as that assassin is found, I'll clear the way for you princess." Gawaine replied, a serious edge to his voice, "And then I will be spending some quality time with a certain murderer."

"You'll have to get in line..." Gawaine heard Arthur mumble beside him, his eyes locked on the stilling form of the man in his arms. His hand still pressed tightly around the wound in Merlin's chest.

"Have they found the bastard yet? We have to go soon." And Arthur had to praise their luck. At the moment the words left his lips, Leon was leading a man, bound and surrounded by palace guards, into the throne room from the direction of the stairs leading to the balcony.

Not sooner had they caught sight of the men that Arthur and Gawaine were both up and headed to the physician's chambers, Merlin still cradled tightly in Arthur's arms. Gawaine was true to his word, causing people to skitter out of his way as he bound through the halls, Arthur was surprised he didn't pull out his sword.

They made it to Gaius' chamber quickly, Gawaine practically taking the door off its hinges in his effort to get into the room.

"Gaius!" Came Arthur's harried voice.

"What happened?"

"There was an assassin at the signing…Merlin took the bolt…"

"Quickly, put him down on the bed, I need to take a look at him." Arthur seemed reluctant to put him down but after a few more grating breathes, he laid him down as gently as he could, careful not to jar the bolt stuck fast in his chest. And then he backed away, giving Gaius the room to work and staying close enough he could get anything that was required.

"Sire, hand me that water bucket and towel. We need to get this bolt out." As Gaius went about his work, Arthur and Gawaine did what ever they could to help.

Arthur was almost sick to his stomach when he heard the wet, smacking sound, as the bolt was wretched free. But the worst part was the lack of a reaction from the man on the table.

* * *

"Sire, I'm afraid the bolt nicked the side of a lung, that's why his breathing to so labored. I don't know if there is anything I can do." Gaius could not believe what he was saying, Merlin was like his son, and now he was saying he didn't know if he could save him? He was the one person he was always supposed to protect.

"Gaius, I don't care what you have to do, but save him." Arthur's desperate plea was torture to Gaius because he didn't know if he would be able to do what needed to be done. Here he was finally given the permission and he didn't know if he would be able to use it to do anything useful. But he had to be sure,

"Sire, are you suggesting magic?"

"Yes Gaius, if that is what it takes do it, I don't care."

"I will try but I don't know if it will be enough."

Gaius knew he could not do it on his own, he needed Merlin to help with the healing, the most he could do was guide the energy.

"M'lord, I'm afraid if I'm going to do this, you and Gawaine will have to leave the room."

"Gaius, I can handle a little magic..." but the false bravado didn't last long as a much quieter reason slipped out, "This is my fault...he saved me..."

"Sire, please..."

"Arthur, come, let Gaius do his work." Gawaine was distraught; the fact that he was actually listening was proof of that. But Arthur shook off the hand of the knight, who then proceeded to leave the room.

"No Gaius, do what needs to be done and I'll be here when its finished." Gaius relented, short of having his own guards drag him out of the room, Arthur was not going to leave. And Gaius didn't have the time to argue any further; Merlin's breathing was worse and needed to be dealt with immediately.

"If you are going to stay, Sire, I ask that you stand out of the way, perhaps by the door." Arthur realized while he might be tolerated in the room, he recognized an order, so he moved to the side of the room suggested by Gaius and tried to focus on not touching anything breakable.

Arthur watched as Gaius grabbed something of the top shelf of his medicines and uncorked the top. Slowly he poured it down the injured man's throat and after a moment Merlin began to stir.

"Ar...thur..." His voice was hoarse but Arthur heard that, and had to restrain himself from moving up to the table.

"It's alright, Merlin, everyone is fine," He relaxed! Arthur could have swore he saw the man who had taken an arrow to the chest relax when he heard this, then Gaius continued, "well everyone except you..." Gaius trailed off, remembering that he was about to betray his ward to save his life. Bending down to ensure Arthur could not hear what he was saying, Gaius whispered in the warlock's ear,

"Merlin, Arthur gave permission to use magic to save you," he choked back a sob here, "but I don't have the ability to do it." He met Merlin's blue eyes, they were wide, pleading, but they also held a hint of resignation, like he had known this wound would be fatal. Hoping to belay these fears, he continued, "You do though, I can help you. If you use your magic, just focus it on yourself, I can then focus it onto the wound."

Merlin's words, Arthur could hear. "Can't...not allowed...to use...ma..gic". Wanting so desperately to tell the idiot that it was fine, that if it could save his life it was worth it and it couldn't be all evil, but Arthur managed to restrain himself, although only just.

"I know that Merlin, but Arthur said it was alright." At that Merlin tried to look round the room, almost like he knew the King was hiding in the shadows but Gaius redirected his attention quickly. "Merlin we must do this now."

Taking a breath and closing his eyes, Merlin raised his hands at his sides while Gaius placed his over the wound. Then Arthur saw the one thing he would have never imagined seeing, when Merlin's eyes opened, they were the hue of magic. Arthur was rooted to the spot, his brain spinning into overdrive, trying to figure out what he was witnessing. He vaguely recognized Gaius was speaking words of the old religion and somewhere in the back of his mind Uther's likeness was screaming at him about how wrong this all was. But then Merlin's scream rent the air and he was slammed back into the present.

"Gaius! Stop you're harming him!" As he spoke, Merlin's head whipped around in a way that should have caused him to cry out in pain but instead he didn't seem to react, almost like the wound wasn't there. Slowing his advance, Arthur moved up to the patient table in the middle of the room. That was when the sting of betrayal hit him again. Seeing Merlin looking up at him with nothing but a pink patch of skin that just moments before had been covered in blood and shredded skin. The realization of Merlin's duplicity hit him again and suddenly he had to leave the room but not before he made one of the biggest mistakes in his life.

"You've betrayed me…you, the one person I thought I could still trust…" And with that he turned on his heal and made for the door.

Merlin felt his stomach hit the floor, Arthur had been in the room, and he knew he had magic. And there was a sharp stab of deceit as well, Gaius had known the king was in the room and he allowed Merlin to heal himself anyway, had helped him in fact. That however was fleeting when he realized Gaius probably couldn't make Arthur leave. But now he had to worry about Arthur,

"Arthur, wait, please..." As he turned to jump down off the table to grab him, his leg collapsed and he fell with a cry of pain. His magic had been focused on the arrow wound and his leg was still tender. Arthur's steps faltered for a moment and Merlin knew he was willing himself not to turn around. Then with a resolve that showed in the squaring of his shoulders, Arthur left the room and Merlin's head hit the floor. After everything he had worked so hard to help build, he had ruined it, it would have been better if he had died.

**So there you have it another chapter completed. I never really planned the reveal but that is the direction my muse took me so I hope you liked it. Let me know what you thought! **


	5. Chapter 5

**Here's another chapter to let those of you who are still with me know that I haven't given up on the fic. I actually really love this one so I will definitely get it finished. On the plus side, I will have a little more free time coming up soon. I managed to get a big job application turned in and now I'm waiting to hear back from the school about it. Plus I've been working on some grad school stuff –yay- I appreciate your patience and I know this is a shorter chapter but I'm thinking it's the second to last one for this story. As always…Enjoy!**

Arthur closed the door behind him and absent-mindedly thought slamming it would have made a more impressive exit, of course this was only an fleeting thought because the one consuming idea rolling around in his head was, _Merlin has magic_. Actually the thought wasn't so much rolling around as it was spinning in a horrible, confusing tornado of thoughts and emotions that were threatening to tear his mind to pieces. The worst part of all of it, he couldn't keep Merlin's annoying voice out of his head that was telling him not to think too much or he would hurt himself. However, this thought took him back to the focus of all his other jumbled considerations since this whole maelstrom started because Merlin had been badly wounded saving him. Saving him and then healing himself _with magic_! It was fine when it was Gaius with magic, he had known about that, and he was desperate to save Merlin but still, he healed himself! With magic! And the ridiculous twister started again. So Arthur found himself walking anywhere but where he was currently. Quickly.

He was so lost in his thoughts he didn't even realize Gwaine had been standing outside the room, waiting, rather patiently, for someone to tell him what was going on. He tried to call to the king but Arthur ignored him, walking rather quickly and looking like his ears were going to start smoking.

* * *

Merlin found himself in the complete opposite situation of his king. Unable to pull himself off the floor he slowly became aware of a salty taste at the corners of his mouth, he knew he was crying and he knew the reason was not the pain in his leg. The pain in his heart was closer to the truth. He had failed, Arthur had not been told up to this point because Merlin didn't think he was ready, he was losing his wife because of magic, had lost both parents, and almost lost the kingdom twice because of it. There was no way he would be able to accept that his best friend had…was…the thing that had taken almost everything away from the young King. So, Merlin was content to remain on the floor, waiting for the king to return with the palace guards complete with shackles and a free stay in the palace dungeons. However, Gaius had other ideas.

"Merlin you must get up off the floor." The physician was pulling on his ward's arm, ready to hoist him upright if needed. "That leg needs to be rewrapped, its bleeding again and using that much of your magic in your state must have made you weak, you should rest…in a bed, not on the floor."

"What's the point?" Merlin moaned to the floorboards, he was well aware of how tired he was and he could feel the warm fluid seeping into his pants, still he didn't move to help Gaius.

"What's that Merlin?" The wood had more clearly heard what the despondent warlock had said.

Looking up at his mentor with glassy eyes, Merlin repeated his question, "What's the point Gaius? Why heal me now? So I can end up in the dungeons with a perfectly healthy leg? I've already done enough damage being selfish."

Gaius was taken aback. He knew Arthur was not happy about all this but at the same time, he would never seriously entertain the idea that the king would harm Merlin in any way. Apparently Merlin didn't have the same confidence. However, his job was to ensure he found some, "Merlin, Arthur might be mad now but he would never do anything to you. He's your friend. He was desperate to save you earlier, that's why we even used magic in the first place. He'll come around he just needs some time."

Merlin clung to his every word and sighing he was finally started to get his feet underneath him he felt a strong pull on his arm that was definitely not Gaius. However, he did hear Gaius warn whoever was currently manhandling him into an upright position to, "Be careful of his leg. The wound reopened." That was when he realized who was helping him up.

"Come on mate, you should not be on the floor, healed or not." Gwaine pulled him to his feet, put his arm around his shoulders, and helped him to the patient bed.

As Gaius set to work on his leg, Gwaine was busy trying to figure out what had Princess's petticoat in a bunch.

"So what did you do to Arthur to make him storm off like that?" Unbeknownst to the knight talking, Merlin felt the tears returning unbidden. Gwaine prattled on. "I mean I called to him and he completely ignored me. And I think I saw smoke. I'm afraid our little Princess might have been trying to think. So I ask you again what happened? I can tell you're healed so I'm not sure I understand why he's so upset."

While Gwaine might have missed the broken look on Merlin's face, he did not miss the perturbed expression on Gaius'.

"What'd I say?"

It was Merlin's voice that squeaked out the answer, "I used magic."

Gwaine must have had too much to drink that morning because he could have sworn he heard Merlin say he used magic but there was no way. Gaius was the one who had been supposed to heal Merlin; the man should have in no way been in any condition to heal himself.

"I'm sorry?"

A little stronger this time, "I used magic…to heal myself…I had no idea Arthur was in the room." Merlin suddenly found the thin blanket on the bed extremely interesting. Wincing as Gaius pulled the bandage tight around the wound.

Gwaine took a moment to process this new piece of information.

…

And then decided he didn't care. His best friend was safe and maybe he could use this new fact for some interesting pranks, which he was sure, he would have no problem getting Merlin in on.

…

But then it hit him why Arthur was so upset. The man had literally spent his entire life thinking magic was an evil thing, now he was faced with the proposition that someone as selfless and kind as Merlin had magic, no wonder his ears had been smoking. Come to think of it, why hadn't he known about this earlier?

"So all this time you've been a sorcerer and you didn't think you should tell your best friend?" His trademark grin gave away he was joking and it helped to lift Merlin's spirits, but only just. It was nice having someone who knew accept him quickly.

"Warlock." It was just a quick response. Then he looked at Gwaine confused face, "I'm a warlock, not a sorcerer."

"What's the difference? You can still use magic. And I'm sure we can find some pretty interesting things to use it for…"

Merlin could see the man trailing off and couldn't help but smile, feeling slightly better than he had before. Now he just had to hope Arthur was willing to be as open as Gwaine was being, the problem was he knew Arthur much better than he knew himself and that would be a hard conclusion for him to reach. That thought toppled his mood down to where it was before Gwaine had shown up.


	6. Chapter 6

**Well this will be the last chapter for this fanfic. I've have a few people make comments about following this all the way through to the end of the series but I don't know if I will have the time. Maybe a few weeks down the road I'll start on a longer one that will follow all the way through but for now I leave you with this conclusion. Enjoy!**

Arthur was storming through the castle without realizing it. Even the knights he encountered were skidding out of his way and by the time he finally realized that he was heading back to his rooms, he turned around angrily because that is where Guinevere would be. The thought of his wife darkened his thoughts even more and he found he needed somewhere else to go, so he set about finding a wing or room that would be secluded enough to leave him to his thoughts. Picking his way through the castle he found himself in Morgana's old room, a room that hadn't been touched in five years. No one would think to look for him here, he knew he couldn't avoid his responsibilities for too long but he needed time to refocus and to figure out what the hell he was going to do with his frie…servant. He wasn't sure if he could think of Merlin as a friend at this point, _even though he's your best friend_ that stupid voice in the back of his mind reminded him. He let himself into the room, locking it behind him and sitting heavily on the bed, he put his head in his hands, rubbing his burning eyes with the heel of his hands hoping to ward off the headache he knew was building the back of his brain.

The longer Arthur sat there, shoulders hunched, eyes burning, the more confusing his thoughts became, if that was even possible. The fact remained that Merlin had magic, and _sorcerers are evil, bent only on destruction_, a voice in his head, that sounded oddly like his father reminded him. _But he also saved your life_, the more forgiving part of his brain, which strangely enough sounded like his own voice, pointed out_._ As much as he wanted to listen to what he had been taught since he was a child, Merlin had disproven all of that. He had never once threatened Arthur's life and many times he had put himself in danger to ensure the King was not injured. His own voice was gaining ground when he remembered he was not his father. He had told that to too many people to go back on it now. Merlin had never done anything to warrant his suspicions; maybe it was time he showed the same trust he had seen Merlin show him.

Still he could not face Merlin, _to make sure this was not just some elaborate trick_, his father talking again. Maybe that voice would not be as easy to get rid of as previously thought. However, he did feel the pain in his head starting to recede a bit, without the aid of the heels of his hands. It was as this feeling of pain retreated, he looked up and realized how dark it had become outside. It was well past the end of the day and Arthur knew he would have to sort out the events of today tomorrow but first he needed to sleep, maybe then he could work through the thoughts still plaguing his mind.

Standing up, he walked out of the room toward his own. He knew he would have to share a bed with Guinevere but to be honest, that was the least of his problems at this point, there was no way she would try to kill him in his sleep, that much he knew. Not that that was a particularly comforting thought but one that would allow him to sleep slightly easier. He would have to make sure none of this was mentioned to her when he spoke with her the next day.

As he crawled into bed next to his bewitched wife, he could not help but think everything had gone horribly wrong. Thankfully, Guinevere had not woken so at least he didn't have to deal with her false concern for himself or Merlin.

* * *

Gwaine stayed with Merlin for the rest of the day, trying to keep him distracted and for the most part it succeeded. He told the wounded warlock bar stories about large women, heavy drinking, and numerous fights. He came up with multiple ways Merlin's magic could be combined with many items to lead to increasingly crazy pranks, one of which involved a donkey, the king's hunting dogs, and chainmail. Merlin wasn't completely sure where he fit into that one but he let Gwaine chatter on unimpeded. The talking helped to keep his mind off the king.

It was well after sunset that Gaius chased the knight out of the room. As much as he knew Merlin would need the distraction, he also needed the rest and his ward's eyes had been drooping for the better part of the evening.

"I'll be back as soon as the patrol reports in tomorrow." With that the knight bound out of the room, probably off to the tavern so he would have some crazy story to tell his friend.

"Merlin, you should get some rest so your body can finish healing. I can give you something to help you sleep if you want."

His ward looked up at him and he could see the torment in the tired eyes, "It's alright Gaius, I think I'll just try and get some sleep." Lying back on the patient bed he closed his eyes but he was well aware sleep would be elusive.

* * *

Arthur spent the next day in a haze. The headache that had been slightly reduced the day before had come back with a vengeance and he was not in the mood to deal with any of the problems that were quickly finding themselves on his agenda. He had to deal with the Sarrum and the assassin, both of whom were currently sitting in the dungeon to await judgment. The assassin would be dead before the end of the day, regardless of how he felt about Merlin's magic, the killer had tried to kill the king and had almost killed a good man, oddly enough this admission seemed to reduce the headache, and he would die. Now, Arthur had to figure out what to do with the king, maybe freedom in exchange for information and a treaty? He couldn't very well kill the man and assume that his kingdom would not attack Camelot, so the treaty might be the safest solution. After all, he had known the Sarrum's reputation before agreeing to this entire debacle.

The day was filled with what normally would have been mind-numbing council sessions, made entertaining by the looks Merlin used to throw him throughout the proceedings. Of course, this thought was what kept the sessions from being mind-numbing; in fact he would actually kill for that at this point. He knew he could sort out all of these thoughts by simply talking to the man but he was afraid. Uther's voice in the back of his head was still reminding him this could all have been a trick that Merlin was in. Maybe he was working with Guinevere, maybe he enchanted her! But he couldn't figure out why Morgana would have poisoned Merlin if he were working with them. Unless it had all been part of the plan to get Arthur out of the castle so Guinevere could set up the meeting with the Sarrum without being discovered. However, that just seemed too far-fetched, again he could solve this entire thing by talking to Merlin. He just didn't know what would happen if it turned out to be true and the one person he thought was a friend had been playing him for longer than any of the other betrayers through the years. He had already betrayed him by lying to him about the magic, what if everything about their friendship had been a lie? He wasn't sure if he could take that. He realized that one of the council members had been asking him a question and then realized that he had been lost to his own thoughts for the better part of the meeting. Forcing himself to refocus he asked for the question to be repeated and tried to pay attention this time.

The rest of the meeting went by with less distraction, although it took a lot of effort to keep it that way. The only thing he had decided was that he could not yet face his…manservant. Not yet. The problem was this left Merlin to stew in his fear and depression, not something healthy for a man who had almost died twice in as many days.

* * *

If it was possible, Merlin was more tired than he was when he fell asleep. His dreams had been haunted by images of Arthur's face and of the executioner's block or the pyre erected in the middle of the courtyard. All of this was circled by Arthur's accusing words about trust and betrayal. None of it made for a restful night. So when Gaius woke up that morning he found Merlin with deep bags under his eyes staring off into nothing. If Arthur didn't come around today, the old physician was afraid he might have to drag him to the room himself. But for now he had to try to get the warlock to eat something, maybe he could slip a sleeping potion in with the food so he could get some rest.

* * *

Arthur gain found himself wandering though the castle. The meetings all finished for the day and the executioner's ax satiated for now. He was loath to run into Guinevere or any of the other council members, preferring to be alone. He had to work out what to do with Merlin, it was consuming too many of his thoughts and he could not afford to ignore his council like he had done today. This had to be resolved soon but that meant facing something he wasn't sure he knew how to deal with.

_What are you going to do with him? _He asked himself._ Magic, in any form, is punishable by death_. Uther's voice was the first to respond to that question. The more this went on, Arthur was beginning to worry that he was going crazy. _But this is Merlin, could you watch him be executed?_ His voice was back. Maybe he was going crazy. At least he wasn't talking out loud to himself. But it didn't matter; he knew how to answer this question. He could never watch Merlin killed, the thought made him sick. He had been the one to plead with Gaius to use magic to save his life. He could never kill him. Exile maybe, the stocks for being stupid enough to step in front of a bolt, but never the noose or the ax. No amount of magic negated the fact that Merlin had saved his life.

That took his thoughts turned in a different direction, _how many times has he used magic to save your life?_ If Merlin could use that much magic while he was lying on his deathbed, he had to be a strong sorcerer, so what else had he done throughout the time they had been together? That was when the king started to think back on all those suddenly dropped swords, saddles that just happened to break, mythical creatures that could only be killed through magical means unless of course you were Prince Arthur, and a certain clumsy manservant coming out of every fight relatively unscathed and it started to make sense. Merlin had been using magic since they had met and never once he it been used to harm him; in fact it had only even been used to save his life. Not that he really expected anything different from his ridiculously loyal friend, yes in the midst of his thoughts he allowed that one to slip through his guard. But if that was the case, why didn't Merlin just change the direction of the bolt with magic? Why put himself in the position of being hit when he could have, at least Arthur assumed he could have, stopped the bolt with a few words?

His head snapped up and he realized he needed to talk with his friend. Now.

* * *

Merlin was sitting at the table with Gaius looking positively miserable, the weight of his secret hanging over his head more than ever, _was your secret_ his pesky voice decided to remind him. He thoughts were a jumbled confusion of consequences. His head was pounding and the fact that he hadn't slept in two days was not helping the headache in anyway. He knew he should drag himself up to his room and at least lay down, knew he must have looked terrible, there was still blood on his trousers but he couldn't bring himself to care. Any noise in the hall made him jump; worried it would be the palace guards come to arrest him for sorcery. After a night and day of sitting in the main room of the house concocting ever more disturbing ways for being arrested and executed, the last thing he expected was for the king to come bursting into the room without a collection of guards and a rather ridiculous and rushed question on his lips.

The door practically shook off the hinges with the force of the shove and as soon as Gaius realized who it was, he was moving off in the direction of anywhere but where the two ludicrous boys were.

"Could you have stopped that arrow with magic?"

"Wh…what?" Merlin was shocked; this was not how he expected this conversation to start. If he was being honest, he wasn't even really expected a conversation.

"Could. You. Have stopped. That arrow. With magic?"

"…yes, I could have but it would have been obvious." The last bit was a quick confession, but it didn't stop Arthur from trying to interrupt.

"Then why didn't you?"

"Arthur…"

"Merlin, you were not shot in the head and you haven't been to the tavern in at least a week so there's no ale in your ears, you heard my question, answer it."

He looked ashamed for a moment, Arthur noticed he dropped his eyes before he answered quietly, "If I had used it at the signing, someone would have seen me. It wasn't something that could have been written off as bad aim because I would have needed to change the direction of the shot…." He went to continue but Arthur cut him off, anger and frustration in his voice.

"So you thought it was a better idea to put yourself in the way of the bolt?" Astonishment laced his voice.

"I couldn't let you be killed." Arthur stood in stunned silence for a moment, of course he knew Merlin would say something like this, he knew his…friend…could never, would never hurt him. He just, up until this point, had trouble reconciling this kind of selflessness, honor, and goodness out of someone who, according to everything he had been raised to believe, should be attempting to kill him and aiding in any attempt on his life.

Merlin did not take his silence well, interpreting his conflict as trying to figure out what to do with the warlock next, so he ventured a question,

"What would you have done if you had seen me use it? If I had used it and not been injured."

This question was something Arthur had been wrestling with the entire time he had stayed away from his friend. And he still could not say he had an answer, "I…I don't know…but I can tell you, I would not, am not, able to sentence you to anything worse than the stocks for the stupidity of putting yourself in front of a bolt."

Merlin's downcast eyes snapped to his, hope shinning out from behind the crystal blue because of his refusal to acknowledge the magic, but Merlin heard the implication, "I never wanted you to have to make a decision about it. I've always hidden it, that's why I couldn't change the bolt with magic."

Confusion was written over Arthur's face, "_That _was your worry. You weren't worried about the loss of your head, you were worried about me needing to making a decision?"

Embarrassment colored Merlin's features and again he diverted his eyes, as he whispered, "My magic has always been for you Arthur, only for you."

"Merlin…" Arthur softened his tone, letting the warlock know the embarrassment was unwarranted. "Look at me please," At the nicety Merlin looked back up and Arthur could tell the man was on the verge of tears, the unshed droplets of water barely being held back. "Merlin, I _don't_ care. I was angry and for that I am sorry. I should have never been angry about the magic; I was the one that told Gaius to use it to save you. I just was so hurt because you kept it from me. I know some of the things you have done for me now. I'm beginning to understand what you've had to sacrifice and when you're feeling better," Arthur made sure to stress this because he had noticed how haggard his friend looked when he stormed in, "we'll be having a long chat about all the other secret magical things I'm guessing you've done."

Merlin could not believe what he was hearing, no cell, no pyre, and no noose, just acceptance from his friend. And at that point as Merlin looked at Arthur, actually looked at him he realized how long he had been waiting for, and to be honest, dreading, this moment. And as the tears began to track down his face, he accepted that for the first time in his life he could be completely himself, and now maybe, just maybe he had the ability to overcome the horrendous prophecy that had so many times been revealed to him.

"Just one more thing…" Arthur trailed off as Merlin looked up at him almost hesitantly.

"Why come to Camelot if you knew you were going to practice magic?" To be honest, this was the question he figured Arthur would lead with, if he were in a question-asking mood of course.

"It was never a choice, I was born this way. I could move objects around my house before I could walk, if anything I spent more time figuring out how to control it to keep it hidden than I ever did figuring out how to use it for any purpose."

"Born with it…you mean, this is not something you can just forget or stop using." Arthur had never once considered that the people who had been executed for magic might have had no choice in how they were born. The fact that people as innocent as Merlin might have been killed made him sick, they should never have been persecuted for the way they were born. Merlin continued, oblivious to Arthur's moral dilemma.

"Nope, in fact, I've tried. But the more I ignore it the harder it becomes to control. When I was younger it revolved around emotion. Mum always had to keep me calm because if I had a fit things would fly around the room." He smiled to himself, lost in the memory. His mother had told him of all the times this had happened and as he got older and more in control, it became something they could laugh about.

Arthur's thoughts however had taken a slightly more depressing turn. He was thinking back to all the people who had been killed. He had seen men, women, and even on some occasions young children executed, how many of them had been like Merlin? Condemned for what they could not control? Then he began to think of all the times he had demeaned magic in Merlin's presence and he felt suddenly very guilty.

"I'm sorry…" Arthur blurted it out; there was really no thinking behind it other than the fact that his guilty thoughts had suddenly become spoken.

Merlin gave him a deadpanned expression. His first thought was that Arthur would continue that statement with …_but I'm going to have to arrest you now_. But when the King didn't say anything else Merlin broke the silence.

"Wh…what? Arthur why are you apologizing?" Seeing the scared look on the drawn face, Arthur rushed to continue.

"For all the times I've belittled magic, belittled you." Merlin visibly relaxed so he continued. "I'm assuming I would have been dead multiple times over if it had not been for your magic." Merlin slowly nodded his head in the affirmative and Arthur went on. "I could never have done what you have. I could never have listened to someone doubt who I am, tell me I am evil, and still remain as loyal and trustworthy as you have to me. I also should never have had said what I did when you were injured. I trust you completely. You are a remarkable person, Merlin and for my statements against you, I am truly sorry."

Merlin was taken aback, he had never thought to blame Arthur for any of this and he needed to make him understand why. "Arthur, I have never held you responsible for the opinions you were taught as a child, those are not your fault. I only ever hoped to show you that magic is not evil, that it is just a weapon. The people wielding it make it good or evil, just like when you wield Excalibur."

"I see that now. You are the perfect example of that difference." He paused for a moment before continuing, "I really am glad you're safe." Arthur looked up and for once in the conversation Merlin actually held his gaze. They remained like that for a moment before Arthur broke the silence.

"So, Merlin, what are we going to do about Guinevere?"

"Well, I think I know where I can find the solution…"

**I hope this last part wasn't too OOC but I wanted to give Merlin some credit so I threw in some Arthur acceptance. **

**Alright so that is the end of the fanfic I hope you enjoyed it and for any of you who are willing to read something else, I've been working on another story that's not anywhere near complete but I wanted a few opinions on whether or not to keep working on it. Its definitely darker than this one, still whump!Merlin and protective!Arthur but a bit more extreme. It's set in season 3 and it's set around the premise that Morgause and Cenrad have captured Arthur and Merlin but instead of allowing them to torture Arthur, Merlin takes the brunt of the punishment (I told you its significantly darker). I'm going for the bromance aspect and the story is kind of based on the song "You Won't Feel a Thing" by the Script. But anyway, here's a short little excerpt if anyone wants to read more feel free to PM me and I'll send you what I have. Just remember before you read this, I've gone kinda dark and it is nowhere near done. **

**.**

**..**

**…**

**….**

**…..**

**On with the preview!**

Cenrad's thugs came for them again the next day. They had finally surrendered to sleep, Merlin still clutched protectively in Arthur's arms, like he could do anything to delay the inevitable. They were exhausted and the creaking of the doors did not rouse Arthur like it should have, instead he awoke to a howl of pain as Merlin was wrenched out of his grasp by his broken arm. Arthur leapt up and with a growl launched himself at the man who was currently manhandling his friend into manacles. He didn't see the second guard, although somewhere in the back of his mind he knew he had to be there, it seemed they didn't trust the quickly angered prince. It didn't matter, he never made it to the man shackling up Merlin, who continued to cry out in pain as the cuffs were clasped too tightly around the swollen arm, because his friend blindsided him. The prince was taken down quickly and soon found himself in the familiar chains across the room from his friend who by the time he looked up, was trying to steady his breathing and will the tears not to fall.

The first blow came without warning. Merlin cried out, he had given up on staying quiet; instead he seemed to be focusing on doing anything to keep from begging. What he was actually doing was doing anything to stay awake; he had to keep these men away from Arthur. And as the blows continued to fall the men didn't say anything they just hit him. They didn't ask any questions, they didn't want any information, they just wanted to cause pain. Thankfully, they had not gone to anything beyond fists and boots and the fact that Arthur was actually praising that fact made him sick to his stomach.

He saw every hit and he felt every one like a boot to his stomach. After one particularly hard hit, Arthur heard a thud and he knew that the heavy fist had cracked a rib. If it was possible, Merlin cried out even louder, tears rolling down his cheeks. Arthur started to scream.

"Stop!"

Hit.

"Please stop!"

Hit.

"You'll kill him!" He was pulling at the chains around his arms, he could feel the cold metal digging into his wrists but he couldn't bring himself to care. He continued to yell and continued to pull, desperately trying to reach his struggling friend.

He caught Merlin's eye shortly before the man's fluttered closed.

That spurred Arthur on more, praying that he had just passed out and not that he had witnessed his friend's death, Arthur continued to yell and curse at the guards.

"Dammit stop! He's had enough you bastards!"

Two more hits.

"Hit me, release me and I'll fight! I'll kill you both!"

Apparently, the lack of screaming ended the session because after what seem liked it should have been days, the blows stopped. The guards tired of their prey and not a moment too soon, Merlin was hanging limp in the chains. He hadn't reacted to the last few hits. Arthur was well aware he was crying, he could taste the salt on his lips but he couldn't bring himself to care. He remembered when he had told Merlin that he should cry for no man and now he was wondering why he ever thought that was a valiant sentiment. He had just watched his friend be beaten for the better part of a day, watched as blow after blow hit his unprotected body, been forced to listen as he screamed out in pain with every hit but never once asked for mercy. That was valiant and that pain deserved tears. As the men moved toward Merlin to unshackle him Arthur caught one of the men's eye and he noticed something akin to fascination, apparently they had not thought his skinny manservant would have been able to last a day let alone a week. Pressing this advantage, Arthur did something he rarely even thought to do, he begged. He didn't threaten or coerce. He knew they would unshackle Merlin, allowing him to hit the ground without any kind of support and he didn't know if he could watch that, so he begged.

"Please," the man whose eye he had caught turned to him, "please, let me down first, let me help him." The other, younger guard turned to sneer at him. "Seems like we picked the wrong whelp, should have started with the princeling, he seems easier to break than this scrawny thing." He ended the statement with a quick shot to Merlin's ribs, causing the boy to gasp and try to curl away from the pain in his unconsciousness.

Choosing to ignore him, Arthur looked back to the older man, "Please, I'm begging you, let me go first."

Seeming to consider it, "If you try anything boy…" The threat hung in the air.

"I won't, please just let me help him." Thankfully, the guard Arthur was speaking to held the keys and he reversed his route, moving over to Arthur he warily unlocked the shackles and watched as the Prince's hands fell to his sides. "Go on then." He said gesturing over to Merlin.

Arthur walked over to his friend and placed his hands under his arms so he could gently guide him down after the manacles were released. He knew he would have to take all of his weight, what little it was, the time in the cells was wearing on him already and his skinny body was boney now. The guard released the chains and Merlin fell, thankfully Arthur was there this time. He lowered him gently to the floor and then, just like he had the last few nights, pulled him against his chest and resolved to keep him there until he woke up.

Looking up at the guard, he nodded his thanks, and was surprised when the guard spoke again. "Food will be sent down to you tonight. Make sure to get him to eat some." Nodding again he watched as the guards left the room and the _thunk_ of the door was a slice to the heart.

"Merlin, you need to wake up." He mumbled to his servant, his hand coming to rest in the raven hair, stroking it back repeatedly, hoping that it was a calming gesture.


End file.
